Wondering
by Stellite
Summary: When Brook discovers her kittypet parents were never who she thought they were, she runs away to find her true heritage. But then she finds the Clans. Will she be able to help them fight and defeat the rising evil? Rated T for violence.
1. Roster

**Hi! Welcome to Wondering!  
** **The following is the roster for the three Clans.**

 **STORMCLAN (31)**

 **Leader ~** Cloudstar - White tom with lilac-coloured eyes

 **Deputy ~** Waterstorm - Lean blue-gray tom with gray eyes  
 _Apprentice, Shrewpaw_

 **Medicine Cat ~** Breezeleaf - Pale gray she-cat with dark green eyes

 **Medicine Cat Apprentice ~** Brightwhisper - Small calico tom with deep blue eyes

 **~ Warriors ~ (16)**

Grayspots - White tom with gray patches

Ratflash - Dark brown tom with small green eyes

Honeydrop - Pale ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes  
 _Apprentice, Snowpaw_

Redfoot - Dark ginger she-cat with deep amber eyes

Whiteriver - Pale gray tom with blue eyes

Hazelwhisper - Pale golden-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Cloverwillow - Pale grey and white speckled she-cat with dark green eyes

Windrunner - Small blue-gray she-cat

Frogleap - Brown tabby tom with green eyes  
 _Apprentice, Riverpaw_

Cinderstorm - Dark gray she-cat with bright blue eyes

Brackenpelt - Golden-brown tabby tom

Fernheart - Brown speckled tom with orange eyes

Goldenmist - Golden-coloured she-cat with greeny-blue eyes  
 _Apprentice, Mousepaw_

Darkthunder - Black tom with dark gray paws  
 _Apprentice, Dawnpaw_

Bluestag - Blue-gray she-cat with powerful hind paws

Treefoot - Brown tom with wide green eyes

 **~ Apprentices ~ (5)**

Shrewpaw - Dark gray tabby tom

Mousepaw - Pale brown she-cat with white paws

Riverpaw - Blue-gray tom with amber eyes

Snowpaw - White tom with one orange, one blue eye

Dawnpaw - Golden-red she-cat with pretty blue eyes

 **~ Queens ~ (2)**

Daisyfoot - Pale ginger tabby she-cat with white underbelly, chest and paws (Mate to Darkthunder)  
 _Expecting kits in less than a moon_

Blackwater - Dark gray she-cat with pale blue eyes (Mate to Treefoot)  
 _Kits, Lightkit & Brownkit_

 **~ Kits ~ (2)**

Lightkit - Pale gray she-kit at 3 moons old

Brownkit - Brown tom at 3 moons old

 **~ Elders ~ (2)**

Heavyfire - Chubby black tom with unusually large paws

Firewatcher - Dark ginger she-cat with blind amber eyes

* * *

 **ROSECLAN (27)**

 **Leader ~** Leafstar - Pale brown she-cat with white paws

 **Deputy ~** Blacknose - Dark gray tom with an unusually large nose

 **Medicine Cat ~** Willoweye - Pale gray speckled tom with dark green eyes

 **Medicine Cat Apprentice ~** Barkpaw - Dark brown tabby tom with bright bluey-green eyes

 **~ Warriors ~ (16)**

Brackenpath - Golden-brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Squirrelchaser - Dark ginger tom with wide amber eyes

Darkpatch - Pale gray tom with black patches

Dewshade - Dark gray tabby she-cat with pretty bluey-green eyes

Sundance - Lithe pale golden she-cat with deep amber eyes

Shadowrunner - Skinny black tom with dark blue eyes

Fernpelt - Ginger she-cat with white paws and tailtip  
 _Apprentice, Duskpaw_

Cookieheart - Pale brown tom with deep blue eyes (daytime warrior)

Softwhisper - White she-cat with a pale brown speckled coat

Loudsky - White tom with unusually large paws

Hawkwatcher - Lean brown tabby tom with white paws and piercing blue eyes

Tigerstrike - Dark ginger tom with black and dark gray stripes

Russetbreeze - Russet-coloured tabby tom with yellow eyes

Rainblossom - Small, lithe pale blue-gray she-cat

Badgerclaw - Black and white tuxedo she-cat with large hazel eyes

Leafshade - Pale brown tabby she-cat with deep green eyes  
 _Apprentice, Berrypaw_

 **~ Apprentices ~ (2)**

Duskpaw - Dark gray she-cat with golden eyes

Berrypaw - Pale brown tabby she-cat with white paws, chest and underbelly

 **~ Queens ~ (1)**

Sandtail - Pale sandy-golden she-cat with pale blue eyes (Mate to Darkpatch)  
 _Kits, Spottedkit, Goldenkit & Fernkit_

 **~ Kits ~ (3)**

Spottedkit - Pale gray she-kit with small black spots speckling her coat at 5 moons

Goldenkit - Pale golden she-kit with deep green eyes at 5 moons

Fernkit - Pale gray she-kit with black patches at and pale blue eyes at 5 moons

 **~ Elders ~ (1)**

Loudmeadow - Pale brown tabby tom with small yellow-green eyes

* * *

 **GORSECLAN (29)**

 **Leader ~** Yellowstar - Pale golden tabby she-cat with piercing blue eyes

 **Deputy ~** Oakfire - Brown tom with one black paw

 **Medicine Cat ~** Lilymoon - White she-cat with pale green eyes

 **Medicine Cat Apprentice ~** Grasspaw - Deep brown tom with wide yellow eyes

 **~ Warriors ~ (17)**

Darkscar - Lean black tom with so many scars it's hard to see his pelt

Froststorm - Pale gray tabby tom with deep blue eyes

Lightfeather - Skinny pale brown she-cat with pale green eyes

Cherrycreek - Tortoiseshell she-cat with deep green eyes

Emberdapple - Dark ginger calico she-cat with wide blue eyes

Mooseblaze - Lean dark brown tom with orange eyes

Briarclaw - Pale brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Echowhisper - Pale gray tabby she-cat with yellow eyes  
 _Apprentice, Leopardpaw_

Lionsplash - Dark ginger tom with a thick scruff

Stonebelly - Black tom with dark grey underbelly and chest

Firedream - Pale ginger tabby tom with white underbelly and chest

Pebblestream - Dark brown tom with golden eyes

Waterwing - Blue-gray tabby she-cat with deep blue eyes

Midnightfire - Lean black tom with hazel eyes

Flameflash - Dark ginger tom with dark gray eyes

Snowsplash - Pale grey she-cat with white patches

Mintfrost - White she-cat with black coat and one blue, one green eye  
 _Apprentice, Acornpaw_

 **~ Apprentices ~ (2)**

Acornpaw - Dark brown tom with golden eyes

Leopardpaw - Pale brown black speckled she-cat with white underbelly, chest and paws

 **~ Queens ~ (2)**

Rainbird - Blue-gray she-cat with a permanent worried expression on her face (Mate to Midnightfire)  
 _Kits, Thunderkit & Lakekit_

Ravenjaw - Black she-cat with white paws and muzzle (Mate to Froststorm)  
 _Kit, Mistykit_

 **~ Kits ~ (3)**

Thunderkit - Black tom-kit at 2 moons

Lakekit - Pale blue-gray she-kit at 2 moons

Mistykit - Pale gray she-kit at 4 moons

 **~ Elders ~ (1)**

Rustyleg - Dark brown tom with a permanently injured leg

* * *

 **CATS OUTSIDE OF CLANS**

Brook - Pale brown she-tabby with wide dark blue eyes and white paws (kittypet)

Elita - Lithe white she-cat with pale pink eyes (kittypet)

Cian - Black tom with white paws and green eyes (kittypet)

Sugar - White she-cat with bright pink eyes (kittypet)

Roxy - Black tom with green eyes (kittypet)

Nightmare - Lean black tom with orange eyes (rogue)

Scorch - Dark ginger tabby tom with golden eyes (rogue)


	2. Chapter 1 - Leaving

Brook lay curled up in a small, pink and white nest next to the gently crackling fireplace, the warmth of the fire making her nest even more comfortable. She grunted and snuggled down further into the soft cushion of the nest - but then she heard voices. Curious, she pricked her ears.

"..don't want to wake her.." came the soft voice of her mother, Elita.  
"..when will we tell her?.." her father, Cian, now.  
"..Brook.." her name was mentioned multiple times. They were talking about her!

She sat bolt upright, staring with narrowed eyes into the guilty faces of her parents.  
"You were talking about me."

The couple exchanged glances before her father spoke.  
"No, we weren't, Brook. We were talking about Sugar. She still hasn't come home."

Distracted from the conversation she'd heard merely seconds ago, the young tabby she-cat jumped up from her nest.

"I'll go find her!" she announced and, without waiting for a reply, she ran across the room and dived through the flap.

It didn't take long to find Sugar. She was sitting on next door's fence, talking to a Roxy, the black tom who lived next door.

Brook trotted across the fence with ease until she was standing right beside Sugar.  
"Heyy, Sugar!"

The white she-cat nearly jumped out of her fur. She spun around to face her sister, pink eyes angry.  
"Brook! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she exclaimed. She turned back to face Roxy, and Brook couldn't help noticing that her eyes noticably softened when they met his green ones.  
"Sorry about my sister. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
He smiled and Brook smirked when he leaned forward and touched his nose to hers.  
"Yep. See you, Sugar."

As the two sisters were padding back to their house, Brook could practically feel the happiness radiating from Sugar. When they reached their garden, she turned around, grinning. "So.. are you and Roxy mates yet?"

Sugar giggled like a kit and lashed her tail against Brook's flank. "None of your business!"

When the other she-cat went inside, Brook couldn't help but sigh. Roxy was the only tom close to her and Sugar's age who lived near them - and it was clear he had already fallen for Sugar. It was a pity. She had always wanted to have a mate, but now that seemed impossible.  
She pushed through the flap to see Sugar already curled up in her nest. Her parents were nowhere to be seen.

Yawning, she curled up in her own nest to continue the rest that was unfortunately interrupted earlier that day. As she fell asleep, she caught a glimpse of her mother padding into the room through her half-closed eyelids, but then she fell asleep.

The next morning, Brook awoke to a room, empty to everyone but a Twoleg kit. The kit never paid much attention to the cats, and it allowed Brook to stroll over to the flap without trouble. She sat down and began to groom herself next to the flap, but then she heard voices.  
Elita, Cian and Sugar's voices, to be precise.  
Curious, she pushed against the flap slightly to hear more.

"Sugar, we're going to tell you a secret. You see, we are your parents..."

At this, Brook pushed a bit too hard, and fell through the flap.  
"..but we aren't Brook's parents."  
Brook felt like her entire body was frozen. She was shocked.  
 _Elita and Cian.. all this time?_  
She looked up to see her family - no, her _fake family_ \- staring down at her, a mixture of anger and other emotions Brook couldn't recognize in their eyes.

"Brook.." Cian began, but Elita finished, "..it's not what it seems!"

Growling, Brook stood up, staring at her parents coldly. "I can't believe you'd do this to me!"  
Both looked down at their paws, but Sugar stared on. "Brook.. I'm so sorry."

But she wasn't listening. She simply ran. Past Sugar, Cian and Elita, past the shrubs, flowers and trees she'd grown up with, grown accustomed to seeing. She didn't stop until she was at the fence at the bottom of the garden. Then, without looking back, without _thinking_ , she jumped over the fence and ran into the forest.

* * *

Brook didn't know how far she'd ran before she finally stopped for a break. She collapsed on the forest floor and stared up at the pale blue sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds, like a kit's fur. Like Sugar's fur. She sighed. She was missing them already. She sighed again, and then noticed the terrible smell around her. She looked down cautiously and realized, she had landed in some mud!

Growling, she jumped out of the mud with a satisfying 'squelch' and stalked off. She tried to shake the mud off, but it was caked onto her brown fur tightly.

 _Looks like I'm going to have to lick it off._

She shuddered at the mere thought. It was only then that she noticed the voices nearby. Instinctively, she jumped up a tree and crouched down on one of it's higher branches, looking down at the newcomers carefully. Two toms, one black and one a dark ginger, stomped into the clearing. Both looked scarily strong and angry.

 _They must be some of the rogues Cian used to tell me and Sugar about.._

Brook waited until they were safely out of sight before jumping back down from the tree.

 _I suppose I'll need to find somewhere to stay the night._

She made her way further into the forest before finally finding a small hollow tree in the middle of the forest. She gathered moss, feathers, heather, anything soft that she thought would make a comfortable nest similar to her lovely one back in the Twoleg den. It was almost the middle of the night when Brook finished making the nest, but it was just as comfortable as her old nest in most ways, and she settled down in it willingly.

She stared out at the stars as thoughts buzzed around her head, reminding her of all she had done today, and all she would do tomorrow. All by herself. The stars danced high up in the dark night's sky, carefree and happy. It would be wonderful to be able to go asleep during the day, and dance through the night without a worry or fear. She fell asleep thinking that, the silver starlight shining down on her pale tabby pelt.

 **Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to the people who followed this before I posted this chapter :)!  
** **I tried to make this chapter interesting, but believe me, it will become a lot more interesting as I carry on. I've got practically the whole story planned out :P  
** **But thanks so much for reading the first chapter of this book! I'll update as soon as I can!  
**


	3. Chapter 2 - Running

**Hi! Thanks for reading Chapter 2!  
** **As I promised, things will get interesting in this chapter.  
** **Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Brook woke up the next morning to shock as she took in her surroundings.  
 _Where's the Twoleg den? Where are Cian, Elita and Sugar?!_

Eventually, she calmed down and remembered yesterday's events. She stood up from her makeshift nest, pulling a stray thorn from her paw. She started to panic as blood trickled from the wound, but remembered a river nearby when she had made her nest the other night. Dipping her paw into the water, she relished the cool water as it washed over her paw, calming her down quickly.

Soon enough, the wound was clean she found some cobwebs which seemed to protect her injury, and then she set off again deeper into the forest, thinking about things that she hadn't thought about before.  
 _This is so different from my old life with my family.. I mean.. what do I call Cian, Elita and Sugar now? They're not my family, and I'm pretty sure they're not just distant relatives.. what are they? Friends? Do friends raise you until you call them your family, then tell your "sister" the truth before you? Why did they tell Sugar before me anyway?_

She didn't know where she was going, she was travelling aimlessly, just hoping that something would turn up. After a while, she caught a delicious scent, and it was only then she realized how hungry she was. Her stomach felt hollow after going so long without food.

She followed the scent eagerly, and soon found herself facig the back of a plump squirrel. She froze, not daring to make a sound for fear it would turn around, and she realized she didn't know what to do. Cian had always spoken proudly about his hunting skill, though he had never given Sugar and Brook much more than a simple 'aim for the neck'.

So, Brook bent down slightly and started to crawl over to the squirrel, but just as she was getting close to the creature, a muscular ginger tabby leapt out of the bushes with a snarl. The squirrel squeaked and tried to run away into the forest, but by then it was too late. The tom landed, long, silver claws unsheathed, on top of the squirrel and immediately bent down and nipped it's neck with sharp fangs. As soon as he seemed assured that the squirrel was dead, he dropped it onto the ground and glared at Brook.

"Who're you, and whaddya think you're doing 'ere?" he growled, kneading his claws into the pale green grass.

Brook swallowed nervously. "I'm Brook, a former kittypet. I.. I ran away from my family."

Suddenly, the tom was right up in her face, his mouth creased into a fierce snarl.  
"And ye think it's alrigh' to walk up into the fores' and scare away all decen' prey with yer rustlin' and yer mutterin'? This squirrel -" he prodded the dead animal with one forepaw, "- is the only decen' prey me an' Nightmare've found since nightfall!"

At this accusation Brook bristled.  
"I've been as quiet as I can be! And don't be going on about 'you and Nightmare', because I haven't had a single morsel since I left home!" she exploded.

"Then maybe ye should go _back_ 'ome! Tis' not as'f anycat wants ye here anyway!" the tom shot back, his dark ginger fur also bristling.

At that moment, the bushes rustled again, and a lean black tom strode into the clearing, his small, orange eyes darting from side to side, from object to object, until finally they rested on the tom and Brook.  
"Scorch, who's your new friend?" he asked. His voice was quiet and dangerous, soft and yet fierce at the same time. You could tell he was the kind of cat you didn't want to cross, the kind of cat who could tear your fur off if he liked. But Brook stood her ground, her narrowed eyes locked on the two toms in front of her. The black cat should be the Nightmare Scorch mentioned earlier.

Scorch took his eyes from Brook for a moment, smirking, and looked up at Nightmare. The black tom was muscular and tall, much taller than any cat Brook had seen before, and that included Cian, who was very tall for a cat. Scorch, however, was muscular, but short. They looked in a way like the villain and his faithful servant - Scorch being the servant.  
"Nightmare, this is Brook. She's the one who's caused us to lose so much prey since yesterday," he explained, his fangs bared in an ugly smile.

Nightmare's orange eyes flashed as he looked more closely at Brook.  
"Kittypet," he murmured. He trotted over to her until Brook could feel his hot breath against her cheek. He smelt terrible - of old, rotting food and those big, bad-smelling boxes Brook used to see waiting outside her Twoleg den, where a monster would collect them every so often. Still, she stood her ground, refusing to move.

In a sudden, unexpected movement, Nightmare whipped out an unsheathed paw and sliced it across Brook's neck. Except, it didn't hit Brook's neck - it hit the pale pink collar she'd worn ever since she could remember. She gasped just as she would if he'd sliced across her real neck as her collar fell to the ground. Her neck felt strangely empty without the collar - over the moons she'd grown so accustomed to having it around her neck that she'd forgotten what it felt like without it.

But, at the same time, it felt wonderful, as if she'd gone to sleep after a long day, or as if she'd been freed from a hard day of work.  
But she felt angry.

Did he think he could just come over and take off her collar like that? That collar was all she had left of her old life! It was the only physical memory she had of her.. fake family! The rage bubbled inside her, rising like a river on a stormy day, and bubbling like the pot in the Twoleg den.  
"You _filthy_ rogue!" she spluttered. "You dirty, dirt-eating foxheart!"

Scorch stepped forward, growling. "Don't ye go callin' Nightmare names, ye weak kittypet!"

Nightmare, however, simply smirked. "Calm down, Scorch." Scorch looked up in surprise, but didn't object.

It only took a mere glance at the pink collar to refuel Brook's rage. A red haze clouded her vision, and she charged, claws unsheathed, at Nightmare, but the red haze vanished as a piercing pain in her side brought her to her senses. She was running, and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Scorch and Nightmare giving chase. Immediately, she panicked. She swerved around trees, her paws flailing as she struggled to keep her balance as she raced along the bumpy path of stones, rocks, twigs and shrubs.

After a while, she looked back over her shoulder. The rogues were gaining on her, quickly. Fear taking the place of past rage, she ran faster than she ever thought possible, but still, the toms were getting faster.

Suddenly, the forest seemed to grow thicker. Twigs and rocks were everywhere, shrubs were on every side of every tree, and it was almost impossible to run, but the rogues seemed to glide across the rough terrain, and soon enough, Brook found herself cornered against a particularly thick tree. She closed her eyes as Nightmare raised one unsheathed paw and waited for it to slash across her face, waiting for the searing pain, but nothing happened. Instead, she heard the voice of a young tom.

"Hey! What are you doing?"  
To her surprise, she heard the scuffling sounds of pairs of paws running away into the forest. She opened her eyes cautiously, and found herself face-to-face with a young pale gray tom, his blue eyes meeting hers. There were more scuffling paw sounds, and soon a pale grey and white speckled she-cat was standing next to the tom, two pairs of eyes burning into her.

"Um.. hi," Brook muttered, unnerved by the look the she-cat was giving her.

"What are you doing here?!" the she-cat spat immediately, eyes narrowed. Brook shrank back. There were only so much fierce cats she could deal with in one day. The tom looked at the she-cat meaningfully, before turning back to Brook, an apologetic look in his eyes.  
"Don't worry, we won't hurt you," he assured her gently.

She smiled slightly. "I'm Brook. I left my home just around a sunrise ago," she explained, feeling awkward now. What business did this she-cat have to be snapping at her like that, like she owned the land or something?

The two cats exchanged glances.  
"Would you mind coming with us?" he asked.

Brook nodded. What choice did she have anyway? If she didn't come, there was a good chance they'd attack her like Nightmare and Scorch.  
So the three cats headed off deeper into the woods, different thoughts running through each cat's head.

 **1,644 words :)! This is probably my favourite chapter so far (not like I have a lot of chapters to think about, heh), because, trust me, it will be important later on.  
** **And yes, the two cats who are talking to Brook are on the roster, look for them if you like, I'd be impressed if you find them though :P. There are a lot of cats on there!  
** **Anywayyy, thanks for reading, please review, favourite and follow (if you haven't already). You guys are the best! Really :3!**


	4. Chapter 3 - Swimming

**This is definitely my favourite story that I'm writing right now. I couldn't wait to start writing this chapter :)  
** **So.. let's get started!**

* * *

After walking in silence for a while, the tom decided to try and start up some conversation.  
"So.. I'm Whiteriver, and this is my sister Cloverwillow." His voice was soft and soothing.  
At his words, however, Brook felt a strange wave of relief wash over her, which confused her. _What is so relieving about anything right now?_

"Why don't you have a one word name, like me?" she asked.

Whiteriver smiled slightly. "We're from StormClan, one of the three Clans, RoseClan, GorseClan and, of course, StormClan. We're groups of cats who hunt, fight, eat and sleep together, and take care of each other. We all have two word names to describe our appearance, abilities and personality."

Brook narrowed her eyes. All this new information at once was very confusing. "Who do you fight?"

Cloverwillow rolled her eyes. "The other Clans, of course!" she scoffed.

This time Brook stared right back at her. "You can't expect me to know everything," she retorted, quite fiercely.

Whiteriver stepped in quickly before his sister could reply.  
"Look, you can see StormClan camp right over that river."

Brook stretched her neck as high as she could, and sniffed. Ignoring her scent, Whiteriver's and Cloverwillow's, she could also smell other cats' scent - lots of other cats' scents. She quickened her pace, and soon the trio had reached the river. Whiteriver and Cloverwillow padded into it without hesitating. Whiteriver was a very good swimmer - he had the slim, muscular build of a graceful swimmer. Cloverwillow, Brook noted, was not half as good as her sibling. Her paws flapped every direction, and she looked the absolute opposite of grace. _But at least she can swim._

Brook peered into the dark water with reluctance, but she refused to give Cloverwillow a reason to tease her, so she climbed into the water and tried to copy Whiteriver's graceful movements.

It was not as easy as it seemed. Brook was one of the strongest kittypets in her neighbourhood, something Cian would point out proudly more than was necessary, but she could tell she was nothing compared to these Clan cats. She pushed through the water with her forepaws and kicked her hindpaws in an attempt to propel herself through the river, but she could see she was much, much slower than even Cloverwillow. After a few minutes of pointless kicking and pushing, she felt teeth close around her scruff, and she let herself be dragged out of the water, a soggy mess.

Whiteriver must have spoken to Cloverwillow, because she didn't say a word to Brook about her swim in the river, but her gleeful expressions were enough to drive Brook crazy. Whiteriver didn't make any further attempts at conversation, but he didn't need to, because soon enough they passed the river, they reached StormClan camp.

It was even better than Brook imagined. Cats running about their business, a lovely, warm smell, several, small cosy-looking dens, and a big pile of food.  
"Wow.." she murmured, eyes darting from one new thing to another. And yet, there was something strange about all this. She had a nagging feeling that she'd experienced this before, it all felt so familiar..

And yet, she had lived with her kittypet "family" all her life, and she'd never heard of the Clans until now, so that didn't make sense.

She shook the feeling out of her mentally, and concentrated on the present. She looked around. Cats were stopping what they were doing, and she could feel hundreds of eyes burning into her pelt. She shuddered, and broke into a trot to keep up with Whiteriver and Cloverwillow. They were heading towards a large den in the center of all the smaller dens. Her ears twitched curiously, and she strained her eyes to see what was inside it.

Soon enough, however, they came to a stop outside the curious den. The two siblings shared looks, as if sharing a mental conversation, then Whiteriver nodded, and Cloverwillow walked away in the direction of one of the smaller dens. Whiteriver beckoned to Brook, and the pair pushed through the lichen that hung over the den's wide entrance.

* * *

 _Wow._  
The interior of the den was beautiful. There was ivy hanging from the walls, and pale blue flowers draped around their stems. In the corner of the den there was a small pool of silvery water, surrounded by tiny flowers. In the opposite corner there was a large nest, framed by feathers and soft moss. Sitting on the nest, there was a tall white tom, staring off into the distance with violet-coloured eyes.

As Whiteriver and Brook entered, the tom's ears twitched and he looked up at them in surprise.  
"Whiteriver. Who is this?"  
Whiteriver bowed his head, this cat was obviously very respected among the StormClan cats, and replied, "Cloudstar, this is Brook. We found her being chased by two rogues onto our territory, and we decided to bring her to you."

Cloudstar looked Brook up and down carefully. Was it only her, or did he see a twinge of recognition in his eyes?  
"She looks strong enough, but very hungry, is that right, Brook?"

Brook nodded vigorously. Her stomach had been protesting bitterly all day, especially after her run from the rogues.

"Whiteriver, how about you get Brook some fresh kill, and introduce her to the other cats? I'll think it over with Waterstorm, and we'll call a meeting this evening about it."

Whiteriver nodded as well, and he and Brook pushed through the lichen again.  
"You're lucky," he commented, "Cloudstar almost never lets any outsiders stay at camp! He's not the most trusting of cats, that's for sure, though he is an amazing leader, one of the best for moons."

Brook smiled slightly. "He is pretty nice."

Whiteriver returned the smile as he led her over to the food pile she'd noticed earlier. "Here, take your pick. Seeing as you used to be a kittypet, I'd reccomend starting off with mouse or rabbit. They're the best by far, and very filling."

Brook examined the pile. She was so hungry she could eat a dog! Finally, she decided on a plump mouse, while Whiteriver picked another, smaller mouse, saying firmly that he wasn't very hungry. Then Whiteriver led her over to a group of cats that looked around his age, and they sat down to eat. Almost immediately, both were targeted with questions, most of them about Brook.

"Whiteriver! Who's this? She smells like kittypet muck!"  
"Is Cloudstar actually letting her stay? If so, she's not sharing my nest!"  
"Let her catch her own prey!"  
"What was Cloudstar _thinking_?!"

But Brook just continued to eat her food, but that eating quickly turned to picking at, as she continued to listen to all the insults and complaints being thrown at her. Finally, Whiteriver snapped. "Just leave her alone, okay?! She's been through enough already!"

After that, the cats seemed to drift away, grumbling to themselves about nests and scents and prey and former kittypets. Brook shared a small, grateful smile with Whiteriver, before finishing up her food. Standing up awkwardly, she looked around. Every cat she could see was refusing to look at her, though she suspected they took a good look at her while her back was turned.  
"So.. where _do_ I sleep?" she asked Whiteriver. He looked up and shrugged. "You can share a nest with me if you're allowed."

Brook felt a flutter of something deep in her stomach, but she chose to ignore it. "T-that's very kind of you."

He just smiled, and returned to grooming his fur. Brook sat next to him and gazed out at her surroundings. The familiar feeling she'd felt earlier returned.  
 _Why do I keep feeling this way? What's going on?_

* * *

Brook was sitting on her own near the entrance to one of the dens, feeling awkward. Whiteriver had been sent out on a patrol with some other cats, and she'd been left alone with a group of giggling young she-cats, watching the sunset.

As the sun was meeting the horizon and the night and daylight colours danced together around the sky, and the pale, evening stars came out of their hiding places to prepare for the soon-coming night, a small, pale brown she-cat with white paws came out of the den. She seemed surprised to see Brook sitting there.  
"Um.. hi. Who are you? Are you that kittypet they're all talking about?"

Without waiting for an answer, she came over and sat next to Brook.  
"I'm Mousepaw. I'm an apprentice here, training to be a warrior."

Brook smiled slightly. "That's nice. I'm Brook, but I'm not a kittypet anymore."

Their eyes met and Mousepaw returned the smile. "What are you then?"

She shrugged. "I used to be a kittypet, but I ran away. I.." she trailed away, not sure whether or not she could trust this strange Clan-cat with her reason for running away. Soon, though, she gathered up some more courage and spoke up again, "..I found out that my kittypet family.. well.. they weren't actually my family. And I guess I'm just trying to find out who my family really is."

Silence fell on the two for a moment. "What about those rogues that were chasing you until Cloverwillow saved you?" Mousepaw asked quietly.

Brook stuck her tongue out slightly. "Cloverwillow, save me? No, that was Whiteriver. Cloverwillow did nothing. Anyway, one of those rogues took my collar, and I got angry, and.. well, you can figure out what happened next."

"Yeah, I should've guessed that that was just another one of Cloverwillow's rumours. Anyway-"  
Mousepaw was interrupted by a loud yowling that came from the top of a tree in the middle of all the dens.  
"All StormClan cats old enough to climb to the top of this tree, please gather around for a Clan meeting!"

Mousepaw jumped to her paws. "This must be the meeting Cloudstar said he'd host about you! Come on!"

The two she-cats raced over to the tree, and Mousepaw sat down with her Clan-mates while Brook hung around near the edge of the crowd, feeling awkward. All eyes were on her now.

As soon as the whole Clan had gathered, Cloudstar cleared his throat and began to speak in a strong, powerful voice that was very different to the one Brook had heard in his den.  
"We are gathered here tonight to discuss the arrival of a former kittypet - Brook. Me and Waterstorm have already been talking, and we've come up with a solution. We can already see that Brook is rather strong, which is surprising considering her past, and so, we've decided that we're going to give Brook a day or two to prove that she is able for Clan life. She will hunt and fight for StormClan, and at the end of those two days, every cat will be able to give his or her opinion on Brook's progress. For now, she shall sleep in the apprentices' den, as she will also train with the apprentices for the following days. If the Clan agrees that she will stay after those days, we will decide where she shall sleep from then on depending on her progress."

A rumble of agreement passed through the crowd, and Cloudstar smiled broadly.  
"Very well. Any objections?"

A noise came from the back of the crowd, and a dark ginger she-cat with unfocused, cloudy amber eyes stepped forward.  
"She's a kittypet!" she squawked, her voice unnaturally high-pitched and squeaky. "Send 'er back home to 'er Twolegs, I say!"

Cloudstar narrowed his eyes. "I believe Brook's talents are much better than any kittypet I've ever met before, Firewatcher."

The she-cat huffed, and stomped back to her place at the back of the crowd, occasionally bumping into other cats.

Brook, however, was glowing. _I'm allowed to stay here!_

Mousepaw beamed at her from her place in the middle of the crowd.

 _I will prove myself. Whatever it takes._

* * *

 **Yay! 2,000+ words!  
** **I just had to give Brook another friend at StormClan, because she'd be so lonely otherwise. Anyway, Mousepaw is pretty cute, and I think she'll be a good friend to her.  
** **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please follow, favourite and review if you think it's worth that :P  
** **Bye!**


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